Friday, February 7, 2014

Guest Post, Review and Huge Giveaway: Grace Burrowes

Please join me in welcoming acclaimed author, Grace Burrowes to Debbie's Book Bag, today! Grace is here promoting her book, The MacGregor's Lady. I hope you enjoy Grace's guest post. There will be two giveaways with this one. One sponsored by the publisher for all three books in the MacGregor series and one very special giveaway from the author. Grace Burrowes will be giving away an ipad to one lucky winner from each of the blogs she is visiting in the first two weeks of February! See details at the end of the post.As a clan, the MacGregors had a knack for making the wrong enemies. While occasionally successful in battle against other clans, by the early 17th century, they were declared outlawed as a group, and in 1617, their very name was made illegal by an Act of Parliament. Clan members could conveniently adopt sept names, or as the Wikipedia articles puts it, risk being ‘hunted like animals and flushed from the heather by the bloodhounds.’ Persecution of the MacGregors did not end until that Act was lifted in 1774, so I knew MacGregors were resilient, resourceful, loyal and proud, which are fine qualities when an author needs some heroes or heroines. Then too, the MacGregor stomping grounds were close to an area of Scotland known as Royal Deeside (Victoria and Albert took a shine to it), which is absolutely gorgeous. This meant I could exploit proximity to the royal couple’s retreat at Balmoral Castle in the MacGregor series, and my, what fun that research was.You can stay on grounds at Balmoral in the nicest little cottages, go wading in the River Dee, and have groceries delivered by a guy with an accent that makes you crave whiskey and even consider bagpipe lessons… but I digress. As for “The MacGregor’s Lady” in particular, the story results from a longstanding discontent with a Roger Whittaker song titled, “The Last Farewell,” which I would have first heard at about age sixteen (1975). In the song, a British soldier bids farewell to the lady he’s fallen in love with at his Caribbean posting, ‘for she is beautiful, and he has loved her dearly, more dearly than the spoken word can tell.’ The song is beautiful, though the soldier contemplates sailing off to the war the next day, and then—this is the part that drove me batty—being an old fellow in England, with fond memories of the woman he loved so dearly. At sixteen, all I could think was, “You don’t love her that dearly if you survive a war, and then sit around foggy old England crying in your beer when you could hop a westbound schooner and be reunited with your lady.” Sixteen year olds make no allowance for poetic sentiments. Nearly forty years later, I had a chance to get even with that song by writing a story of two people whose family obligations lie on opposite sides of the Atlantic. They fall hopelessly in love, and yet, neither one will ask the other to turn their back on family. My characters did more than write a few pretty verses about how miss their one true love, and I think it made for a fun read right up to the final scene.Be sure to follow along in February for your chance to win an iPad from New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Grace Burrowes. She’s visiting some blogs and chatting with fellow Sourcebooks authors!2/3 Carolyn Brown2/4 Jayne Fresina2/6 Fresh Fiction2/7 Debbie’s Book Bag2/10 Jade Lee2/11 Christy English2/12 Bad Girlz Write2/14 Megan MulryBook Details:

The MacGregor's Lady (MacGregor Trilogy - Book 3) by Grace BurrowesPublication Date: 02/04/2014Publisher: SourcebooksImprint: CasablancaGenre: Historical RomancePages: 416ISBN-10: 1402268726ISBN-13: 978-1402268724(Received for an honest review from Sourcebooks Casablanca)Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieboundGrace Burrowes on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreadsBooks in the series: The Bridegroom Wore Plaid (2012), Once Upon a Tartan (2013), The MacGregor's Lady (2014)Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

The last thing Asher MacGregor, newly titled Earl of Balfour, wants is a society wife, though he has agreed to squire Boston heiress Hannah Cooper about the London ballrooms. When he's met that obligation, he'll return to the Highlands, and resume the myriad responsibilities awaiting him there.

...Lead instead to impossible love?

At her step-father's insistence, Hannah Cooper must endure a London season, though she has no intention of surrendering her inheritance to a fortune hunter. When she's done her duty, she'll return to Boston and the siblings who depend upon her for their safety... or will she? The taciturn Scottish earl suits her purposes admirably-until genuine liking and unexpected passion bring Asher and Hannah close. For if the Scottish earl and the American heiress fall in love, an ocean of differences threatens to keep them apart.

Thoughts:Grace Burrowes wraps up her Scottish Victorian MacGregor trilogy with the final book, The MacGregor's Lady. Burrowes' fans have fallen in love with her lilting style and delightful prose. Burrowes has a knack for the historical side of her romances, as well as, the emotional side. With impeccable research and well developed characters, The MacGregor's Lady is sure to be hit with fans of historical romance and lovers of all things Scottish. What I liked:Any Grace Burrowes book you read will always have an authentic setting, a group of characters that are captivating and a story line that will keep the reader fully engaged. Her books have historical background and her research is obvious. They say to write what you know, well Grace Burrowes knows a lot about the Old Country and those who lived the history she writes about and the gives each book an edge that most historical romances don't have. The MacGregor's Lady is definitely my favorite of this series and perhaps one of my all time favorites from this author. The were a lot of things about this particular hero and heroine that really stood out and made this book so enjoyable. Both Hannah and Asher have pasts that are getting in the way of their future. Commitment and duty to family and to clan on Asher's part and a ruthless step-father who threatens everything Hannah lives for on hers. Unfortunately, their obligations lie on opposite sides of a very big Ocean. I think Burrowes did a fantastic job with both the research for this novel and the characterizations of these two lead roles. I loved everything about them.

Asher is the epitome of a brooding hero when readers first meet him. He has been on the Canadian frontier for a very long time and re-orienting himself to family and home is difficult, especially when he is wrangled into providing escort for Hannah and her aunt as she looks for a husband in London. But he soon learns that her intentions are far different from what they seem. Asher is an enigma. He is this character who has been away for far too long. He has a traumatic past and it takes him awhile to open up about it. I loved everything about this character. He was so well written and interesting. Burrowes has done a masterful job with him. A caring and loving man who only wants to help his lady with her troubles. Hannah is at times too stubborn for her own good. She has a plan and nothing or no one is going to stand in her way of achieving it. But she is unwilling to see that her plan won't work. Her dodged determination is a good quality but when the answer is starring her in the face she still doesn't want to accept it. I loved her for a lot of reasons. Her love for her family most of all, but she could be a little blind. I also like the fact that once she got over the fact that she was attracted to the dashing laird, she went for it. Even though an ocean of obligations stood in their way she wanted to experience what being loved by someone like him would be like.Together these two were simply amazing and Burrowes weaves love and history together like a beautiful tapestry. I love the way she balances her writing and gives readers all the emotional and physical connections between characters that make a good romance, great. And this one is great! I loved the sneak appearance from the Windhams and the other characters from the previous books in the series. It deepened the idea of family and where the line blurs between compassion and obligation, an underlying theme of this book. It was literally, just a fantastic book.What I didn't like:It took Hannah awhile to get over being stubborn and letting Asher help her. She loved him and he loved her, they belonged together. It just took her a really long time to figure out that love could surmount any of problem, even an ocean.Bottom Line:You'll be cheating yourself, if you don't read this book. It's one of the best historical romances I have read in a long time and this review cannot begin to reflect that. Grace Burrowes is a tremendous talent in this genre and readers who have gotten the opportunity to read her books are truly blessed. Enough said!The MacGregor's Lady is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Grace Burrowes' bestsellers include The Heir, The Soldier, Lady Maggie's Secret Scandal, Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish and Lady Eve's Indiscretion. The Heir was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2010, The Soldier was a PW Best Spring Romance of 2011, Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish won Best Historical Romance of the Year in 2011 from RT Reviewers' Choice Awards, Lady Louisa's Christmas Knight was a Library Journal Best Book of 2012, and The Bridegroom Wore Plaid was a PW Best Book of 2012. Her Regency romances have received extensive praise, including starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Grace is branching out into short stories and Scotland-set Victorian romance with Sourcebooks. She is a practicing family law attorney and lives in rural Maryland.

Giveaway Details:

To celebrate the release of The MacGregor’s Lady, Grace Burrowes is giving away EIGHT iPads during the first two weeks of February! To enter to win, leave a question for Grace to answer in the comments. A random commenter will be chosen as the winner and notified via email. US and Canada only. A second commenter will also be chosen to win a prize pack of The MacGregor Series books: The Bridegroom Wore Plaid, Once Upon a Tartan and The MacGregor’s Lady. US and Canada only.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.~ US and Canadian addresses only.~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, February 21st.1. Please leave a comment with a question for Grace or what your idea of a perfect Scottish hero is.2. Please fill out the FORM.

Carol, this is the third in the series, the previous two being The Bridegroom Wore Plaid (a Publishers Weekly Best Book), and Once Upon a Tartan. The next installment is What A Lady Needs for Christmas, which comes out in October.

Thank you, Grace. My question: You said "The MacGregor's Lady" was inspired by the song "The Last Farewell"---or, more to the point, your reaction to it. Have you been inpsired this way other times? What inspires you most often?

I'm really curious as to what made you decide to write some comtemporaries and is it possible that you may try some other genres too such as fantasy or paranormal? I have no doubt that I am going to enjoy whatever genre you decide to write :)

Hey Grace ~ it's great to finally get my hands on this book. You know I fell in love with your writing with the first one. I'm sad to see it end, sigh. My first love in historicals will always be Scotland. What made you turn to writing with all your many talents and busy law practice? I'm often struck by how many professionals with advanced degrees end up romance authors =). Thanks for the giveaways

I love how the song inspired you and stuck with you all these years. I, too, get ideas from hearing songs and have a few ideas rolling around in my head. When I was a teenager and would be in the car with my mom listening to the "oldies" station, I felt a connection to the song "Brandy" by Looking Glass and always thought there was an interesting story there, especially since I loved stories that took place on the high seas or in port towns. A year or so ago I came across a self published book based off at that song and thought it was great. Do you have anymore book ideas from songs floating around in your brain? I am sure with your musical background that you do.

This book just like any other that you've ever written sounds amazing. I love what you thought about the song The Last Farewell. I went and looked that up today and I have to say I agree with your thoughts on the song.

I have loved each and every cover that you have had, do you get any say in what your covers look like?

Grace, my idea of a perfect Scottish man is someone who isn't perfect but he is devoted to his family by the things he does and not necessarily what he says. He is also very protective but not possessive. Of course, he must be handsome in a rugged sort of way as well.

Hi Grace! I enjoy reading your series! I was wondering if you prefer writing series or would you write stand-alone books in the same time period? I've always wondered if authors come up with a book as a stand-alone and the series progresses from there or if it's easier to think of it as a series from the get-go.

Mary Anne, there's no telling where inspiration will come from, so a writer is well advised to have her eyes up and her ears on. An overheard snippet of conversation, a movie that ends "the wrong way," a weather report--ANYTHING can get the imagination revved.

Catslady, a long time ago, I was in a graduate program pursuing a master's degree in conflict management. My advisor asked me what I'd like to to for my thesis, and I said I wanted to write a romance novel that evaluated the American legal process as a conflict management system. He said, "Why not?" and I've had contemporary plots kicking around in my head since.

That Girl.... not too nervous, but I simply haven't acquired the skills. Romantic suspense when it works is a terrific read--great pacing and a compelling love story--and it sells well. I can't come up with a plot though, so.... not yet.

Shore... I'll be back in Scotland in early summer, after spending some time in Italy at Eloisa Jame's writing seminar. We travel around in Scotland, from Edinburgh to the Highlands, to the Western Isle. It's all lovely!

Glitter... fear not, there are more Scottish Victorians on the way, and I love each one more than the last, which is saying something. I recently had a chat with the podcast editor from the American Bar Journal, about all the lawyers who write romance. We're sort of a survivors' club, I think, from jobs that can daunting.

LSU... thanks for asking. Tiberius Flynn's sister Joan needs a husband in a hurry, and at the MacGregor's holiday house party, the pickings are slim. Dante "Hard-Hearted" Hartwell isn't an aristocrat, but he is a widower trying to raise two children on his own. He and Joan embark on a marriage of convenience, and when Joan's past threatens her future, she must choose between safety and true love... lotsa mistletoe, and a bunch of tipsy guys in kilts chasing around after one verra fast rabbit.

All of the MacGregor's and Flynn's, plus Fiona and her dearest bunny, Frederick.

MZK... no plans to take on Asia or Africa, though the Victorians certainly wandered far and wide, and that's intriguing. I'm hopeful travel later this year Italy might yield some interesting ideas.

Anne, I'll forget laywering just as soon as the prodigy is done with college--again.

Sarah, I got a lot of juice from the Christmas portion of Handel's "Messiah" when I was writing Lady Sophie. I think The Last Farewell stuck with me because I was SO mad at it, and it's SUCH a good song. Dude could sing.

Molly, I don't have theme songs for most of my books. Because my first profession was musician, I don't listen passively. If music is on, it's like having a bright light flashing in my peripheral vision. Just as you'd look at that light, I'd focus on the song. I envy the people who can write at Starbucks.

Angela, Gilgallon was my great-grandma's maiden name. When I wrote Bridegroom, Mary Fran and Matthew's story was also "on the page," and my editor said, nope. Too many couples crowding the stage. I tried to put enough of Connor and Gil's stories on the page to satisfy the reader, and Gil and Genie's story in particular was entwined with Augusta and Ian's. Not sure what Connor is up to with his lovely bride down there in Northumbria...we might have to visit them again.

Tiffany, thank you for the kind words about the covers. For the Lonely Lords series, there is an early set of covers for Nick, Ethan and Beckman that I just could not live with. (Nick's cover is still not a strong effort, if you ask me.) I whinged and whined and muttered and begged, and eventually, the design of the cover was redone, with significant improvement. Mostly, though, when it comes to covers, it's out of my hands.

Jane, my keeper-keepers are Judith Ivory, Joanna Bourne, Mary Balogh, and most Loretta Chase. I'm exceedingly fond of Tessa Dare, Meredith Duran, Julie Anne Long, Carolyn Jewell, and JR Ward. Yes, you read that correctly. There's also a contemporary author, Patience Jackson, who's coming out with a Scottish contemporary "Kilts and Quilts" series starting with "To Scotland With Love," this summer. A lovey debut with more good things to follow. http://amzn.to/1f2UvF1

Jadeen, I'd add that he has a good sense of humor, which seems to be true of the Scots of either gender and all ages, to the extent one can generalize.

Rapple--I don't think I can pull off quite the humor of a strong, honorable man in a gently self-mocking mood. He's all competent and virtuous, and then you see a twinkle in his eye, and the impact is more significant than if somebody else had twinkled at you. Then his ladies get to twinkling... it IS fun to write, I'm glad it's fun to read, too.

Ada, I have a stand alone coming out next spring, not sure what the title is, but he's an earl who marries the companion when the debutante turns up her nose at him. I know he has connections to other books, but the Easter eggs are well disguised. I prefer to write series, because larger themes can unfold over multiple books (the impact of Bart and Victor's deaths in the Windham series), the world can acquire depth over several books, and the the supply of secondary characters is more varied than it might be otherwise.

Sheryl, I am really enjoying Scotland, and the early Victorian. A lot of people are writing later Victorian, but the part of century when Victoria and Albert were very much in love and still adding to their family remains largely uncrowded. I like that, and I like a life style still closer to the land. By 1850, the momentum had shifted to the cities, so I'm at the end of the window when most of the population was on the land. Interesting times...

The perfect Scottish hero would be tall, well-muscled, handsome (though, perhaps, in a more rugged way), and kilt-wearing (of course!) on the outside and, on the inside, he would be honorable, brave, kind, intelligent, protective, and have a sense of humor.

I have not had the pleasure of reading this series yet but I am definitely looking forward to it. I have to say that my perfect Scottish hero would be just like the rest of my heroes, a person with a great sense of humor and a kind and protective nature...and of course that delicious brogue. Thanks for the giveaway!

I haven't read this series yet, but it's on my wish list. My idea of a perfect Scottish hero is someone who is strong, smart, trustworthy and loyal. My question is, what authors do you read and do you read other books while you are in the middle of writing your books?

Hi Grace,I enjoyed the interview. I've never read any of your books but I'm going to put these on my list. I love Scottish historicals.My perfect Scottish hero is tall about 6'5", muscular- has to have a six pack and big arms & legs, loves to go to battle, carries a big sword- you can take that both ways :), shoulder length wavy brown hair, loves dogs, has the purest of green eyes, long eyelashes, and carries a kitten in his little man purse they carry (I forgot what they call it) will protect his lover at any cost. He doesn't fear anything except loosing the woman he loves.Bottom line- smokin hot looking and very protective of his lady.

Susan G, I am enjoying this early Victorian period. Scotland, because of ship building and the beginnings of heavy industry, was undergoing a rare economic boom, science and the arts were flourishing, and the spirit of the times was that progress would solve every problem.... while cholera killed thousands, the air became unbreathable, and the sewers overflowed in London. Interesting times, indeed.

Aquarian, all of my books should stand alone, provided you can tolerate a little teasing regarding the rest of the series. The secondary characters are usually siblings, for example, and those sibling will have or have had their own tales.

JMC, OK, you've nailed the hero. When does the book come out? Seriously... if you're writing romance, and you have your characters, the rest flows from them. Now all he needs is a defining trauma.

ELF... er, I think you meant burr? I'm pretty sure it's brogue for Irish, burr for the Scots. I've had heard there are Irish kilt traditions, too, though, so maybe the distinction is more fluid.

Anonymous, I wish I could give more. I have such fun writing these books, and that people will pay to read them is a Wish Come True.

Bonnie, it's a sporran, and the height is fairly likely. For six hundred years, the Highland men were the tallest anywhere in Europe, and then the Scandinavians overtook them as immigration stole a lot of Scotland's population. I think the Danes are the tallest now.

Moriah, I'm starting to see a series, for Rose, Winnie, and the Windham heir... Edward, maybe? Their stories will come at an interesting time, probably the 1830s, when most of the realm considered William IV was holding the reins for the very young Princess Victoria... could be fun!

Rita, I like those priorities. I have a lot of mixed feelings about turning guys into pecs, abs, and glutes. Would I want my daughter viewed that way? Did I enjoy it when I was regarded as so many hot parts? No, I did not.

Glenda, God willin' and the creek don't rise, I'll be writing books for a long, long time.

Traveler--The Scottish Highlands. Doesn't feel as crowded as Regency London. I've also enjoyed what writing I've done in the late Georgian period, when ladies fashions were absolutely, utterly scrumptious.

What is normal writing process? Do you have a strict writing schedule? What happens when new characters and ideas for new stories pop up right in the midst of the story you're currently writing (or does that ever happen)?

About Me

Thank you for visiting my book blog. I'm a book lover from way back and in my book bag you'll find a little bit of everything. From romance to non-fiction and back again. I hope that you will enjoy your time here.

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